# Making PNG with a transparent background in PyGMT

**URL:** <https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/making-png-with-a-transparent-background-in-pygmt/1403>\
**Category:** PyGMT Q&A\
**Created:** [March 1, 2021, 8:04am UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/making-png-with-a-transparent-background-in-pygmt/1403 "2021-03-01T08:04:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Igor](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/igor/32/903_2.png) [@Igor](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/Igor)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2021, 8:04am UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/making-png-with-a-transparent-background-in-pygmt/1403/1 "2021-03-01T08:04:48Z")

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Greetings dear PyGMT community,

my task is to produce maps with transparent background using PyGMT, so that I don’t need to manually delete white background in some graphical editor after.  
As I understood, the only thing that I need to do is to activate transparency option in the pygmt.Figure.savefig. The problem is that even if I do so, I still get figures with the white background.

Maybe I am missing something?

My final line in the code looks like this: `fig.savefig("Filename.png", transparent=True)`

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![maxrjones](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/maxrjones/32/2698_2.png) [@maxrjones](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/maxrjones)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2021, 5:36pm UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/making-png-with-a-transparent-background-in-pygmt/1403/2 "2021-03-01T17:36:42Z")

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Yes, for example this produces a transparent figure:

```auto
import pygmt
fig = pygmt.Figure()
fig.basemap(region=[-90, -70, 0, 20], projection="M8i", frame=True)
fig.savefig("test-fig.png",transparent=True)

```

Does this produce a non-transparent background for you? If so, can you please post the output from `pygmt.show_versions()`?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![liamtoney](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/liamtoney/32/2021_2.png) [@liamtoney](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/liamtoney)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2021, 6:08pm UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/making-png-with-a-transparent-background-in-pygmt/1403/3 "2021-03-01T18:08:17Z")

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I’m guessing Ghostscript issue?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Igor](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/igor/32/903_2.png) [@Igor](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/Igor)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2021, 9:22pm UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/making-png-with-a-transparent-background-in-pygmt/1403/4 "2021-03-01T21:22:24Z")

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Hello Meghanj,

thank you for your answer. Your example worked for me as well. In fact, I recognized that the problem was that I had an element on my map with an activated transparency option.

So, your example will not work for me if for instance I want to add semi-transparent gridlines:

```auto
import pygmt
fig = pygmt.Figure()
fig.grdimage(grid='@earth_relief_10m',region=[-90, -70, 0, 20],projection="M8i")
fig.basemap(region=[-90, -70, 0, 20], projection="M8i", frame=["+n","xg5", "yg5"],t=50)
fig.basemap(region=[-90, -70, 0, 20], projection="M8i", frame=["xa5f5", "ya5f5"])
fig.savefig("test-fig.png",transparent=True)
fig.show()

```

As soon as I deactivate -t option everywhere apart from `fig.savefig` command, I get the needed transparent background.  
Maybe it is related to the versions of my packages. I am attaching the result of `pygmt.show_versions()` down below.

> **Versions summary**
>
> PyGMT information:  
> version: v0.3.0  
> System information:  
> python: 3.8.6 | packaged by conda-forge | (default, Jan 25 2021, 22:54:47) [MSC v.1916 64 bit (AMD64)]  
> executable: D:\Users\User\miniconda3\envs\pygmt\python.exe  
> machine: Windows-10-10.0.14393-SP0  
> Dependency information:  
> numpy: 1.19.5  
> pandas: 1.2.1  
> xarray: 0.16.2  
> netCDF4: 1.5.5.1  
> packaging: 20.8  
> ghostscript: 9.53.3  
> gmt: 6.1.1  
> GMT library information:  
> binary dir: D:/Users/User/miniconda3/envs/pygmt  
> cores: 8  
> grid layout: rows  
> library path: D:/Users/User/miniconda3/envs/pygmt/Library/bin/gmt.dll  
> padding: 2  
> plugin dir: D:/Users/User/miniconda3/envs/pygmt/Library/bin/gmt\_plugins  
> share dir: D:/Users/User/miniconda3/envs/pygmt/Library/share/gmt  
> version: 6.1.1